Remember, Remember…

Remember, remember the fifth of November,
the Gunpowder, treason, and plot,
I know of no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, 't was his intent
To blow up the King and parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below,
Poor old England to overthrow;
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, make the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!
Hip hip hoorah!

Four hundred and two years after the events themselves we still celebrate each 5th November as ‘Guy Fawkes’ day, remembering the infamous Gunpowder Plot that came perilously close to blowing up the Houses of Parliament and King James I in 1605. The infamous Fawkes was not actually the chief conspirator – he just happened to have been given the job of making sure that things went off with a bang (probably because he was, as a result of his military background, experienced with explosives). So it was that in the early hours of 5th November 1605, following a tip off, Fawkes was arrested in the vaults underneath the House of Lords in charge of a large and incriminating amount of gunpowder.

Fawkes was brutally tortured and, although he actually displayed great courage in withholding the names of his fellow conspirators for some days, he eventually succumbed. He was executed soon after not by being burnt at the stake but in a way too gruesome to describe here – so actually, the bonfire is the wrong place for the ‘guy’!

Ever since the early 1500s England had been in religious turmoil. Henry VIII’s well documented break with the Pope was driven by his desire for a son. Catherine of Aragon was unable to provide him with one. Henry knew that the Pope would not allow him to divorce Catherine, and it was this rather than any doctrinal concerns that was the real problem. His decision to break away from the authority of Rome and divorce Catherine led to a period of great instability in which the nation (or least its leaders) first embraced the new teachings of the Reformation (under Edward VI), then (under Mary) returned to the Roman Catholic faith. Finally, the Elizabethan Settlement led to the establishment of the central role of the Church of England, which it has continued to play in the nation’s life ever since.

So what value is there in remembering Guy Fawkes? (Thankfully nobody shouting ‘penny for the guy’ these days has Mr Fawkes seriously in mind!) On November 5th this year, why not reflect on, and give thanks for, just how far we have come since the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

At that time, Christian traditions viewed each other with, at best, suspicion and, more often than not, fear and loathing. The church had strayed a very long way from Jesus’ command that all his followers should be one!

But we must also remember that, even today, although we have indeed come a long way from the dark days of previous centuries, there is still much to be done to achieve a deeper sense of unity among Christians and that there is no room for complacency. The anger surrounding the ‘Orange’ marches in Northern Ireland in the last couple of years is a reminder to us that past hatreds have a tendency to endure.

It’s no wonder that some say that, when all is said and done, religion simply breeds war. We do have to acknowledge that in the past and still, in some very well documented places, in the present, religious people have felt the need to use violence to further their agenda. But throughout history (often very quietly and unobtrusively), many, many Christians have displayed a quality of love and compassion even in the most difficult of circumstances. Desmond Tutu, for example, was hugely influential in the relatively peaceful transition of South Africa to a fully democratic state.

In the four hundred years since Guy Fawkes tried to blow up Parliament, many Christians have come to realise that, although we might worship in different ways and may not agree about everything, what holds us together is far more profound and significant than what might keep us apart. A couple of years ago I went on retreat at a Roman Catholic Spirituality Centre near Liverpool where I was, along with the other non-Catholics there, fully embraced by a caring Christian community - it was a moving and enriching experience.

At a time when the Anglican Communion is threatened with a damaging schism, we need to take note of what Jesus said, “May they (his followers) be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17 v 23). Its not, though, that there won’t be different points of view, liturgical preferences or understandings of the Bible – there will be, and Christians must both keep talking and listening to one other. But the damage done by bitter divisions within the body of Christ over the centuries is incalculable. Christians are called to live out their faith in every aspect of their lives, to reach out to other Christians, indeed to those of all faiths and none, and to share the self giving, sacrificial love of Jesus Christ. If we fail to do that, his love will remain obscured.

So, if you happen to be at a bonfire party this November 5th, and you see ‘guy’ himself ablaze – say a prayer for the unity of all Christians that the name of Jesus may be glorified on the earth.

Rob Green